EB Friday Hotlist: Pride Edition

Anyone that follows me knows that I'm openly bisexual, a member of the Queer Etsy Street Team, and a huge supporter of all things LGBT.  A lot of people celebrated LGBT Pride earlier this year, but here in North Carolina we are celebrating this weekend.  Tomorrow I plan to head up to Durham to meet a friend who will accompany me to my first ever pride events (yay!).  So, I decided to take this post as a mini-celebration online of something that definitely influences and colors my craft.



As you may have heard (even right here on this blog), the Queer Etsy Street Team is raising money to benefit the Trevor Project.  The Trevor Project provides the only 24-hour national (US) suicide and crisis hotline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens.  They also provide a host of other services to benefit queer teens and young people and actively advocate for their rights, protection, and safety.  Purchases from our team shop go to benefit the Trevor Project.  We are donating 100% of proceeds to them from this year and we're offering free shipping to all customers for all items.  Please take a look at the shop and purchase something to support this cause.
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If you're interested in taking a look at other LGBT art, feel free to browse some of my old Weekly Treasures blog posts.  You'll find several treasuries featuring queer-themed work found on Etsy.
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I've been talking and thinking about inspiration lately and how I find it necessary in order to create.  My bisexuality plays a significant role in my work.  Most of you have heard the story before, but to make a long story short...due to stress and a host of other factors (including personal conflict over my identity), I decided to start making jewelry as an outlet.  That wasn't the first time I'd ever dabbled in jewelry making though.  A couple of years prior I had searched and searched online for bi-themed jewelry and was unimpressed at the relatively minimal selection.  I ended up going to Michael's, purchasing an assortment of findings and pale pearls, and making my own bi pride jewelry.  I still wear it on occasion and I have a pair of earrings made with the same pearls for sale in my shop (see picture).  When I started selling jewelry on Etsy, I made a conscious effort to add an LGBT line so that others in my situation would have a little more to choose from.  Unfortunately because of time constraints, I haven't been able to replenish my stock for that line or for any of my others.  I am, however, immensely pleased that one of my sources of inspiration turned into a product line that resonated with customers.

What aspects of your personality do you put into your work?  What is it about you that bleeds over into your creative projects?  Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle